"Pardon me," said Staff; "I'll have a word with the office."

He hurried away, leaving Mrs. Ilkington still volubly dilating on that
indignity that had been put upon her: Alison listening with an air of
infinite detachment.

His enquiry was fruitless enough. The day-clerk, he was informed by that
personage, had not come on duty until eight o'clock; he knew nothing of
the affair beyond what he had been told by the night-clerk--that Miss
Searle had called for her bill and paid it at five o'clock; had given
instructions to have her luggage removed from her room and delivered on
presentation of her written order; and had then left the hotel in
company with a gentleman who registered as "I. Arbuthnot" at one o'clock
in the morning, paying for his room in advance.

Staff, consumed with curiosity about this gentleman, was so persistent
in his enquiry that he finally unearthed the bellboy who had shown that
guest to his room and who furnished what seemed to be a tolerably
accurate sketch of him.

The man described was--Iff.

Discouraged and apprehensive, Staff returned to the lounge and made his
report--one received by Alison with frigid disapproval, by Mrs.
Ilkington with every symptom of cordial animation; from which it became
immediately apparent that Alison had told the elder woman everything she
should not have told her.

"'I. Arbuthnot,'" Alison translated: "Arbuthnot Ismay."

"Gracious!" Mrs. Ilkington squealed. "Isn't that the real name of that
odd creature who called himself Iff and pretended to be a Secret Service
man?"

Staff nodded a glum assent.

"It's plain enough," Alison went on; "this Searle woman was in league
with him--"

"I disagree with you," said Staff.

"On what grounds?"

"I don't believe that Miss Searle--"

"On what grounds?"

He shrugged, acknowledging his inability to explain.

"And what will you do?" interrupted Mrs. Ilkington.

"I shall inform the police, of course," said Alison; "and the sooner the
better."

"If I may venture so far," Staff said stiffly, "I advise you to do
nothing of the sort."

"And why not, if you please?"

"It's rather a delicate case," he said--"if you'll pause to consider it.
You must not forget that you yourself broke the law when you contrived
to smuggle the necklace into this country. The minute you make this
matter public, you lay yourself open to arrest and prosecution for
swindling the Government."

"Swindling!" Alison repeated with a fla